Objective: Non-adherence to therapy in chronic diseases is a multidimensional concept involving many factors, primarily health literacy (HL). However, the information in the literature evaluating the relationship between the HL level of parents of children with atopic dermatitis (AD) and their knowledge level about treatment and disease remains limited. Therefore, our study aimed to measure the health literacy of mothers of children diagnosed with AD and to investigate the relationship between literacy levels and the severity of their AD, as well as their knowledge of atopic eczema and skin care.

Materials and Methods: The mothers of 100 patients aged ≤2 years diagnosed with AD, based on history, physical examination, and laboratory tests, were invited to participate in the study. A cross-sectional, face-to-face survey-type study was conducted in 2022-2023. The `Health Literacy Scale-Short Form, the participants` sociodemographic characteristics, AD knowledge levels, daily AD practical approaches, and AD skin care were evaluated with survey questions.

Results: The study was conducted with 100 mothers of children with AD. The participants` median HL score was 33.3, their median atopic dermatitis knowledge level score was seven, and their median AD moisturizer correct use score was four. A positive correlation was found between the health literacy score and maternal education level (p = 0.036, r = 0.21), while a negative correlation was observed with maternal age (p = 0.009, r = -0.26). While no statistically significant correlation was found between participants` health literacy scale scores and their AD knowledge scores (p = 0.89), a statistically significant and positive correlation was found between health literacy scores and the correct use of moisturizer scores (p = 0.018, r = 0.24).

Conclusion: Inadequate or limited health literacy, especially among mothers, may lead to insufficient knowledge about moisturizers and inefficient and disproportionate use of these products, which are the basic treatment for AD.